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Eight days later, those same newspapers were able to report that Ms Gillard was Prime Minister and Mr Rudd was toast.

In February 2012, with Ms Gillard trying to recover from Mr Rudd's failed attempt to grab back the leadership amid much rending of garments, a report appeared in Fairfax's Sydney Morning Herald asserting that former NSW premier Bob Carr was being secretly recruited to the Senate.

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Within hours Carr's office in Sydney issued a press release.

Carr's name, it said, ''had often figured in speculation about federal political vacancies'', but he was ''not pursuing the vacant NSW Senate seat''.

He offered ''unqualified support'' for Ms Gillard's leadership and lamented that the reporter hadn't asked him for comment, for he would have killed the story.

Those in Canberra with long memories recall that one of the more wonderful moments in the art of denial came on Thursday, December 12, 1991. Six cabinet ministers trooped to prime minister Bob Hawke's office to tell him his time was up and Paul Keating had the momentum.

Hawke refused to go. The unfortunate Kim Beazley was sent out to address a near hysterical throng of journalists.

''At the end of those discussions [between the ministers and Mr Hawke] the Prime Minister expressed the view . . . that he intended to remain leader of the Labor Party until the next election,'' said Beazley, sweat trickling. ''Senior ministers endorsed that position and that is the situation.''

And perhaps it was, though within seven days, Hawke was gone and Keating was installed.

At present, of course, Senator Carr may well be Ms Gillard's loyal lieutenant.

A year ago he might not have been pursuing a Senate seat four days before one was handed to him.

In 2010, Ms Gillard may have firmly believed it an absurd proposition that she would challenge and destroy Kevin Rudd's prime ministership eight days before she did. You just have to take your pick from all those shades of grey.